The Foreign Ministry has set up a hotline where people can phone to give information on relatives they may have in the earthquake-hit Aquilia region in Italy. The number is 21242191.

The ministry earlier confirmed it has offered to help a Maltese nun whose house in Aquila collapsed as a result of the 6.2 magnitude earthquake which struck Central Italy at 3.30 a.m. The nun was not injured but lost all her belongings.

The Maltese Consul in the region is trying to contact five Maltese families who live in the area, but his job has been made more difficult because his office also collapsed as a result of the tremor.

Meanwhile, a group of Maltese children who are in Italy on a sports camp accompanied by a number of adults, were this morning evacuated from their hotel, about 100km away from Aquila, as a precaution.

The Italian Home Ministry said the official death toll has so far risen to over 130, and 50,000, possibly even as many as 100,000 people, are homeless.

Foreign Minister Tonio Borg, who is in Turkey, has written to Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini to express Malta’s condolences and solidarity.

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